Indian Health Care Resource Center

February 9, 2011 will mark the first anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move Campaign. The OMH grant team of IHCRC held an after school event at Jane Addams and Park Elementary school with obstacle courses using Catch teaching techniques in the gyms... See more pictures from the Park Elementary "Let's Move."See more community activities of the Healthy Tulsa Pathways.

September marks the first anniversary of Tulsa Healthy Pathways

a three-year family-centered project funded by the Office of Minority Health "Partnerships Active in Communities to Achieve Health Equity" (PAC) federal grant. Funded at $485,000 annually, Indian Health Care Resource Center serves as the lead agency of this community-based project which benefits American Indians, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos living in ten zip codes in west, north and east Tulsa. The purpose of the Tulsa Healthy Pathways project is to improve the health outcomes for minority populations in the areas of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

The broad purpose of the federal PAC health equity grant is to address root causes of health disparities, remove environmental barriers to health care access and increase access to and utilization of preventive health care, medical treatment and supportive services through integrated community based-networks.

Over the past year, Indian Health Care has partnered via subcontracts with the Tulsa Health Department, the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, Kendall Whittier, Inc., the YWCA and the YMCA to collectively undertake the Healthy Tulsa Pathways project. Through the combined effort of the partnership much has been accomplished, including the provision of nutrition education classes for adults and children, physical fitness opportunities for hundreds of community children, chronic disease prevention and management classes and the creation of new community gardens. Other key accomplishments achieved during the past year are as follows:

Creation of the Tulsa Healthy Pathways partner referral system. An easy-to-use, easy-to-read business reply mail brochure was created and distributed to help people to access health and social services.
Provision of professional development for over 20 Tulsa Public Schools educators, elementary and middle school teachers in CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) and active classroom techniques. CATCH curriculum promotes physical activity, healthy food choices and helps prevents tobacco use in elementary school-aged children.
By teaching children that eating healthy and being physically active every day can be FUN, the CATCH Program has proved that establishing healthy habits in childhood can promote behavior change that carry into adulthood.
Provision of comprehensive health screenings to 400 community adults in the service area zip codes to identify individuals who are pre-diabetic and/or at risk for heart disease. Trained professionals reviewed the results of the screenings with community members and made referrals to help correct any issues identified.
With the assistance of IHCRC staff, over 350 children have been enrolled in Oklahoma's Medicaid/SoonerCare health insurance program.
Creation and distribution of an organizational and individual cultural competence survey based in national standards outlined in the guide or advancing family centered culturally and linguistically competent care.

In year two of the project, the Tulsa Healthy Pathways partners will expand educational opportunities concerning nutrition, collectively encourage more physical fitness and increase the number of individuals referred to medical homes. Key milestones which we will work to achieve include:

Provision of professional training for home visit and early childhood program staff on prenatal, infant and early childhood "diabetes and obesity prevention" techniques.
Coordination and evaluation of ongoing community assessments including area minority advisory council findings, the THD maternal and child health initiative's Tulsa north health assessment, the Tulsa north health improvement plan and other resources to strategically identify and implement needed policies and programs.
Use an electronic self-guided tour for representatives of all partner organizations to become familiar with available community resources located within the targeted zip codes.
Coordination with the Community Service Council to convene agencies who are working in similar program areas to discuss strengthening of referral networks and ways to identify and address gaps in services.

Man Camp was an idea that came from a 13 year old African American/Native American girl who mentioned to her mother in jest that her brother needed lessons on how to be a man. The mother laughed, but continued to think about all the boys in the community who really need lessons from sources other than their peers or the media's perception of what a man is. Man Camp offered a clear practical encounter about the characteristics of a man, a definition about what masculinity is and information about health, sex, money and all the other things men in our society deal with at a basic level.

At the 2011 Man Camp boys experienced an intensive three-day right of passage program that will teach them about what character is and the qualities of a good man's character. The boys will discuss masculinity, learn how to prepare fresh healthy foods, participate in discussions about sex and money with professionals and learn about the importance of physical fitness. Man Camp was a community initiative supported by Tulsa Healthy Pathways, Sanctuary Evangelistic Church, the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, KIPP Preparatory Academy and the Tulsa Health Department.